This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Typically, automotive vehicles including cars and trucks have an internal combustion engine (gasoline or diesel) which is coupled to a transmission and an axle assembly for providing power to the driven wheels of the vehicle. An engine exhaust system which typically includes one or more exhaust pipes, one or more catalytic converters, one or more mufflers and one or more tailpipes is attached to the engine to quiet the combustion process, to clean the exhaust gases and to route the products of combustion away from the engine.
Some vehicles are equipped with catalytic converters positioned adjacent to or very near the engine. Due to the weight of the catalytic converters and proximity to the engine, brackets mounted directly to the engine block or heads have been used to support the converters. At least one known converter mounting bracket cooperates with one or more metallic mesh biscuits positioned between the converter and the bracket. The metal mesh is intended to act as a strain relief joint to account for thermal expansion of the converter during operation.
While the steel mesh biscuits may effectively reduce the stresses reached due to thermal expansion, these materials tend to crush and may permanently set during vehicle operation. A change in joint stiffness after minimal periods of use has also been noted. Unfortunately, changes in the characteristics of the steel biscuits also may cause changes in the noise, vibration and harshness characteristics of the exhaust system within the vehicle. Undesirable feedback to the vehicle operator may occur after a relatively short period of vehicle operation.
Other catalytic converter mounting systems including elastomeric plastics or rubbers have not succeeded due to the relatively high temperature operating environment in which the catalytic converter mount must function. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide a robust, high-temperature catalytic converter mount to account for thermal expansion of exhaust components.